Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is taking steps to prevent the spread of any infectious diseases in Portland barge; and what assessment she has made of the potential public health impacts of housing asylum seekers in Portland Barge on (a) Dorset Council and (b) Dorset health authority.

We take both the welfare of those in our care and our wider public health responsibilities extremely seriously. At Manston, all asylum seekers are offered diphtheria vaccines and antibiotics upon arrival. The Home Office provides 24/7 health facilities at Manston, including trained medical staff and a doctor for all those on site. All asylum seekers undergo a health check upon arrival and, if needed people are taken to hospital for further care.

The vessel will be managed by a specialist and experienced provider, which has a strong track record of providing this kind of accommodation, having managed the two vessels in Scottish ports for the past year.